Knife or tool for tapping rubber and other gum trees.



R. W. OATER & G. v. A. SOHOFIBLD KNIFE 0R TOOL FOR TAPPING RUBBER AND OTHER GUM TREES.

APPLICATION FILED JAILZS, 1910. 971,,Q1 Patented Sept. 27, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

R. W. GATER & G. V. A. SGHOFIELD.

KNIFE 0R TOOL FOR TAPPING RUBBERAND OTHER GUM TREES. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, 1910.

971mm, Patented Sept. 27, 1910.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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ROWLAND WOOD (LATER, OF WEST CROYDON, AND GEORGE VAUGHAN ARTHUR SCI-IOFIELD, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

KNIFE OR TOOL FOR TAPPING RUBBER AND OTHER GUM TREES.

Application filed January 26, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROWLAND 00D OATER, of 48 Hartley road, West Croydon, in the county of Surrey, England, planter, and GEORGE VAUGHAN ARTHUR SOHOFIELD, of 29 Martins Lane, London, E. C., in the county of Middlesex, England, merchant, subjects of the Kingdom of Great Britain, have invented an Improved Knife or Tool for Tapping Rubber and other Gum Trees, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprises an improved knife or tool for tapping rubber and other gum trees.

Channels of various shapes are cut or incised in the bark or cortex of the rubber tree in accordance with ditlerent systems of tapping, spiral V-shaped, herring-bone and other styles being at present in 'ogue. After the first channel is made, further cutting or paring is resorted to in order to open more of the latex tubes or cells which are hidden in or form part of the structure of the bark, one method being to pare thin slices off the floor of the channel, another being to pare from outside the bark in an inward direction. It will be understood that a great variety of cutting tools are employed in. accordance with the system adopted.

According to the present invention a tool is provided which can be adapted to any method of tapping whether spiral, V-shaped or herring-bone, while provision is made whereby the process of incising and paring may be carried out by a single blade adapted for the dual operations, or separate blades may be employed. This invention is also characteristic in that the tool is under complete control and may be moved over the surface of the bark with great facility while being operat-able in any direction.

In order that this invention may be clearly understood and more readily carried into practice, reference may be had to the appended four sheets of drawings on which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a knife or tool constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation of the tool shown in Fig.

1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a tool fitted with a finger guard and having the frontand rear edges of the platform upturned. Fig. 4 shows in perspective a double-handled tool.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 27, 1910.

Serial No. 540,293.

rectangular square, or other suitable shape is provided with a centrally-disposed aperture a through which the cutting element 13 projects, the front and rear edges of the plate being upturned, as shown in Fig. 8, or quite fiat, as shown in the remaining figures, or with parts cut away at a to reduce weight, see Fig. 1.

To remove the disadvantage which has hitherto existed viz., the strain on the wrist of the operative which is set up as a result of the blade being positioned some distance from the hand, we place the handle directly over the blade B or in analagous position, by which arrangement the point at which the force is applied is directly over the cutting element and the entire strength of the arm and even that of the body may be utilized, the operative has also far more control over the apparatus, while being able to work quicker and consequently tap more trees in a given time. Such a handle consists of two standards 0 arranged in a plane at right angles to the platform and connected by a cross bar C of shape appropriate for the hand of the user, the parts being built up or cast integral with the platform. In lieu of the standards being connected by a cross bar they may be shortened and provided with arms shown in Fig. l which extend in opposite directions to constitute dual handles, these latter being integral.

A sharp spike (Z for digging into the bark prior to incision for the purpose of testing the thickness of bark to which the operator may with safety cut, is provided on the front edge of the platform and is of rectangular pyramidal configuration. Such spike is also useful for commencing the cut and for removing any rubber which may be adhering to the tree.

To enable the apparatus to move smoothly and easily over the bark, rollers c are incorporated and protrude through slots or rectangular apertures a formed in the platform, pivots e for the rollers 6 being centrally positioned in the thickness of the platform at right angles to the direction of cut. Such rollers e are further of advantage in that being situated at convenient distances from the incision on either side, they materially assist in expressing the latex from the incised lateXcells or tubes.

An upstanding lug a running parallel with the length and at the edge of the aperture in the platform is provided, the said lug (4* having a vertical groove or recess a? for almost its full width in which the shank b of the cutter B is placed. To lock the latter in position an aperture is formed therein and a bolt f passed through from the inner side, a transversely directed boss (4 being for this purpose cast on the outer face of the lug a In the present device the blade may be slanted at various angles so that any desired amount of clearance is obtainable.

In tapping a rubber tree it is essential not to wound the inner wood of the tree and it thus becomes necessary to regulate the depth of the incision in accordance with the thickness of the bark. The thickness is first ascertained by the spike (Z on the toolas aforedescribed and the cutter then adjusted to protrude beyond the platform the desired distance. The adjustment is provided for by forming a vertical slot 1) in the shank b of the cutter and employing a butterfly or thumb screw 9 on the locking bolt f, the operative being enabled to instantly adjust the cutter and lock it in the desired position.

A finger-guard may be embodied as shown in Fig. 3, and takes the form of a second platform H constructed of sheet metal and secured to the vertical standards 0 by screws j at such a position between the handle C and the main platform A as toleave room for the fingers to conveniently encircle the handle, ears 71- being turned down at the ends of the guard to enable it to fit against the standards and also to form attachment means through which the screws j pass.

By the aforedescribed method of mounting the cutter in a lug and directly below the point of application of the force, the tool is adapted to cut in an upward, downward, right or left direction, and works either by drawing toward or impelling away from the operative, the pull or thrust of cutting being taken by the shoulders of the lug against which the cutter bears. Thus the one tool serves for either right or left hand work. i

It is understood that changes may be made in the form or in the proportions of the handle, cutter or other parts forming our improved tool, or that the arrangement of the parts may be changed when occasion requires without departing from the scope and purpose of our invention, therefore, we do not wish to be limited to the particular form herein described and shown.

lVhat we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A tool for the purpose described, comprising a base-plate having its edges cut away provided with a central aperture, a cutter within the aperture for cutting channels of various configurations in the cortex of a rubber tree, means to adjustably secure the cutter in said aperture, a handle positioned directly over said cutter, a spike at the front end of the tool for testing the thickness of the bark and guiding rollers arranged in pairs in suitable openings of the base-plate to both sides of the cutting tool for guiding the tool and assisting in squeezing the latex from the incised latex cells, substantially as described.

2. A tool for the purpose described, comprising a base-plate having bevelled edges provided with a central aperture, a cutter within the aperture, a grooved bracket secured to the base-plate above said aperture and adapted to receive the shank of said cutter, an opening in the cutter, a boss secured to the outside of said bracket, a bolt passing through said bracket and the cutter and a tlnimb-screw upon the outer screwthreaded end of said bolt for regulating the position of the cutter and locking the same in its adjusted position substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

3. A tool for the purpose described, comprising a base-plate having its edges cut away provided with a central aperture, a handle positioned directly over said cutter a cutter within the aperture for cutting channels of various configurations in the cortex of a rubber tree, means to adjustably secure the cutter in said aperture, a finger-guard secured to the standards of the handle parallel to the baseplate and the grip of said handle, a spike at the front end of the tool for testing the thickness of the bark and guiding-rollers arranged in pairs in suitable openings of the base-plate to both sides of the cutting tool for guiding the tool and as sisting in squeezing the latex from the incised latex cells, substantially as described.

4. A tool for the purpose described, comprising a base-plate provided with a central aperture, and, a cutter within said aperture, consisting of a single blade adapted for making incisions and for paring, means to adjustably secure the cutter in said aperture, grips at both sidesof said aperture provid ing a handle for the tool, a spike at the front end of the tool for testing the thickness of the bark before the cutting operation and guiding rollers arranged in a plurality of pairs at both sides .of the cutting tool in suitable openings of the base-plate and a suplementary plate thereof, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

5. A tool "for the purpose described, comprising a baseplate provided with a central aperture a cutter within the aperture consisting of a blade, having a. plurality of arms of substantially V-shaped cross section said cutter being provided with a plurality of openings, means to secure said cutter in adj usted position within said aperture and gripping handles for said tool substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

6. A tool for the purpose described, comprising a base-plate provided With a central aperture, an exchangeable cutter Within said aperture, a grooved bracket secured to the base-plate above said aperture and adapted to receive the shank of said exchangeable cutter of a form adapted for cutting channels of various configurations in the cortex of a rubber tree, an opening in the cutter, a boss secured to the outside of said bracket, a bolt passing through said bracket and the cutter and a thum -screw upon the outer screw-threaded end of said bolt for regulating the position of the cutter and locking the same in its adjusted position, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

In Witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two Witnesses.

ROWLAND W001) CATER.

GEORGE VAUGHAN ARTHUR SCHOFIELD. Witnesses R. WVILLIAMS, FREDK. L. RAND. 

